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nothing short of

Idioms

The equivalent of, the same as, as in His accusation is nothing short of slander. This term is slightly stronger than little short of, meaning “almost the same as,” as in Her claim is little short of stupid. The first term dates from about 1800, the second from about 1830. Also see short of.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"That is the whole story; that is the history, the legacy and nothing short of what she deserves, so on Friday, we will be at Croke Park to try and advance those talks."

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

Coachella became Beychella and her Homecoming performance was nothing short of epic, even becoming its own Netflix special.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

The valuation gain has been nothing short of incredible.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

While Catholic kids have usually been led to assume that the baby Jesus arrived on the wings of doves, Mary’s labor is nothing short of agonizing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

There was a note of badly suppressed glee in Ron’s voice; Harry could tell he was nothing short of thrilled that McLaggen had messed up so badly.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023